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Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Unicorns - Real Animals Behind The Myth

Magical
and mystical, unicorns have been the subject of legends and myths for
centuries. This legendary creature is described to be a large beast that looks
like a horse, only that it has a pointed, spiral horn growing out of its
forehead.It was mentioned by the
ancient Greeks, throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and even in the
bible. European folklore believed the animal to posses strong magical powers
that could cure any illness and even bring the dead back to life.

Although
many believed in this creature, no one has really capture one. Hunts to capture
this animal were even organized, often coming back with nothing. There have
been many reports of sightings, but then again these could be other animals
that simply resemble the mythical unicorn's appearance. Here are some possible
origins of this magical creature.

Fabricated
Evidence

Among
the number for prehistoric bones discovered at a site called the Unicorn Cave
in the Harz Mountains in Germany, some were taken out and reconstructed Otto
Von Guericke, the mayor of Magdeburg. He presented the remains as a unicorn in
1663 and everyone believed that this was the real deal. The reconstructed
figure was actually composed of the fossils of a woolly mammoth and the
rhinoceros. A narwhal horn was added to the forehead of the skull to give it a
realistic look. The remains were later declared as fake but the legend
continued.

Aurochs

During
an excavation at the Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, major sites of the Indus Valley
Civilization, small stone seals were found that has elegant depictions of the
animals that we seen in the area. Some of the stones had a unicorn-like figure
on them, as well as an Indus script that still baffles researchers and scholars
till this day. Mind you, these stones were dated back to2500 B.C, so it's possible that prehistoric
man were already believing in unicorns. The closest interpretation of the
unicorn seal was that it was a representation of the aurochs, which is a type
of wild cattle which once inhabited North Africa, Asia, and Europe. But this
still does not explain why the seals only show one horn on its profile.

Elasmotherium
or rhinoceros

Another
suggestion for the origins of the unicorn is that it is based on the
Elasmotherium, a species of the rhinoceros which is already extinct. This huge
Eurasian mammal was a native to the steppers, south of where the woolly
rhinoceros of Ice Age Europe lived. The Elasmotherium looked nothing like a
horse, but it did have a large single horn growing out of its forehead. This
animal were said to have become extinct about the same time as the wooly
mammoths and rhinoceros, but some scientist believe that it survived long
enough to have been remembered by native European people.

Single-horned
goat

Every
now and then, common domesticated animals are born with strange mutations that
make them look extraordinary. One of the most common theories about unicorns is
that it was actually just a single-horned goat. This theory is supported by the
fact that unicorns were also described as goats, not only horses, that had one
horn. Some people also produced these single-horned goats by re-modeling the
"horn buds" on young goats in a way that their horns would twist and
grow together.

Narwhal

During
the Medieval and Renaissance eras in Europe, unicorn horns were often found the
cabinets of curiosities. However, many of these were proven to be the straight
spiral single tusk of the narwhal, which is an Arctic cetacean. They were
hunted and their horns taken and bought to the south as valuable trade objects.
Narwhal horns are made out of ivory, so many believed that there were legit
unicorn horns. And since these horns were considered to contain magical powers,
it would sell for a price worth a fortune. Queen Elizabeth I of England was
even reported to have kept one, given to her by Arctic explorer Martin
Frobisher.

Oryx

This
animal is an antelope that has two, thin, long horns growing from its forehead.
Some suggests that the oryx could have passed as a unicorn, although their
horns grew towards the back of their heads, unlike the classic description of a
unicorn. However, travelers and explorers who would cross Europe to go to the
distant lands of Arabia and Northern Africa would tell stories of this
unicorn-like creature. The Peregrinatio in terram sanctam, which is a book that
describes the pilgrimage to Jerusalem passing Egypt, describes the many animals
that you would see throughout the journey, which includes camels, crocodiles,
and unicorns (presumably an oryx which is common in these routes).

Eland

Southern
Africa is known for its many legends and stories of spiritual and mystical
creatures, which are often based on real animals. The Eland is a very large
antelope that would defend itself against fearsome predators like lions, and
even being able to kill them in battle. They're commonly depicted on rock art
found in caves and cliffs in the region. People in the area viewed it as a
sacred beast, and travelers could have picked up its legend and brought it with
them back to Europe. Clan MacLeod in Scotland is reported to have custody of a
unicorn horn, which was identified as an eland horn after investigation.

Whether
you believe that somewhere out there, a real unicorn is running free in a
field, or that this creature is only the stuff of legends, you should know that
it had very deep roots in the history and culture of many places in Europe.
Scotland even named the unicorn as their national animal.

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